CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A year after Nueces County leaders announced plans to pursue a state veterans nursing home for the Coastal Bend, officials say they are working to move the project forward.
The proposed facility would be the first state veterans nursing home in the Coastal Bend, providing specialized long-term skilled nursing care closer to home for veterans who currently must travel outside the region for that level of care.
"We're in the works," said JJ De La Cerda, Nueces County's veterans and social services officer. "We've got a lot of things going on behind the scenes."
In June of 2025, Nueces County commissioners approved a resolution supporting the effort, allowing the county to begin pursuing the project through the Texas Veterans Land Board.
Before the county can submit an application, however, officials must identify a site that meets state requirements. According to De La Cerda, the property must include at least 30 acres, be located within 25 miles of the nearest U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs clinic, and be safe, secure and equipped with adequate infrastructure, including a reliable water source.
"The land has to be perfect," De La Cerda said.
County officials had hoped to submit an application by April 2026, but the deadline passed as the search for land continued.
"The land itself, it's hard to obtain land, especially of that nature," De La Cerda said. "Thirty acres that someone is willing to give up at no cost. We've been working on that behind the scenes, but it's really the amount of land and the location."
Once a suitable site is secured, the county will submit it to the Texas Veterans Land Board for evaluation. If the land meets state requirements, officials can then submit a formal application to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
De La Cerda said the county now plans to submit its application by April 2027.
If the project is approved, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs would fund about 65% of construction costs, while the Texas Veterans Land Board would cover the remaining 35%.
Officials are considering several potential locations, including land near the Corpus Christi VA clinic, property along State Highway 44 and sites near Flour Bluff. De La Cerda said the county also wants the facility to be centrally located so veterans throughout the Coastal Bend, including those in rural communities, can easily access it.
"We want to make it centralized so that veterans in the rural communities, Jim Wells County, Kleberg County, San Patricio County, can all utilize that facility," he said. "We want to make sure it's perfect."
Until a Coastal Bend facility is built, veterans who require state-operated long-term nursing care often must travel about two hours to the nearest state veterans homes in McAllen or Floresville.
De La Cerda said a local facility would significantly improve access to care for aging veterans.
"It completely changes health care for our veterans, especially our older veterans that need the care," he said. "We need a home for our veterans."
According to the Texas Veterans Land Board, state veterans homes provide skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and respite care. Veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 70% or higher generally qualify to live in a state veterans home at no cost. The homes also offer specialized care tailored to veterans' needs while allowing residents to live alongside others who share similar military experiences.
More Veterans In Focus stories are available here, along with resources for local veterans.
Contact Veterans In Focus reporter Michelle Hofmann at michelle.lorenzo@kristv.com
